Never Leaving
by My Quiet Riot
Summary: Peeta is having another one of his episodes, unpleasant courtesy of the Capitol's hijacking. He begs Katniss to leave, wanting her to escape any harm he could possibly inflict. But will she do what he says and leave, or will she stick by Peeta's side? Rated 'T' for minor language and slight sensuality.


**Well hello, everyone. C: I know I normally write Cause of Death things, but I decided to broaden my horizon a bit. I'll still be writing plenty of CoD, of course, but I wanted to try a few different things. If you go to my profile & look at my bio, I have a list of upcoming works, which include Hunger Games & 13 Reasons Why. ANYWAYS, this is a Hunger Games one-shot, full of Peeniss/Everlark fluff (I SHIP THEM SO HARD IT HURTS). It's set a year or so after Mockingjay ends, but BEFORE the epilogue. So, essentially, this is my first Hunger Games fanfic, so I'd definitely appreciate reviews & feedback, good or bad. Thanks, & enjoy! :D**

**Oh, & after I wrote this, I realized how much I loveeee writing about Peeniss/Everlark. So, expect more. :D**

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Katniss Everdeen stood in the doorway of her and Peeta's small kitchen. Peeta was having another one of his episodes; this one was particularly bad. He hadn't seen Katniss watching him yet, as he was rampaging around the kitchen, muttering something about tracker jackers and poison.

"Peeta," Katniss uttered softly, her smooth voice full of concern.

When Peeta looked up and saw her standing there, she could visibly see him try to fight off the hallucination; she also saw that said hallucinations were winning. As hard as Peeta tried to fight them off, some of them were ultimately too strong for even his willpower; they just had to be dealt with, no matter how unpleasant.

"Peeta," she said again, slowly approaching him. "Are you okay?"

Peeta's eyes flashed between episode-mode and normal as he struggled to fight it for a few seconds. He could feel this one would get violent, but there was nothing he could do about it but warn Katniss to get away before he inflicted damage.

"Katniss!" he gasped, clutching the edge of the table. "Get out of here! This one is violent, please leave!"

Katniss shook her head, refusing to leave. "No," she said gently, "I'm not leaving."

Frustration boiled in Peeta as he tried to fight it again, determined to make Katniss leave before he hurt her. If he hurt Katniss during one of these episodes, he would _never_ be able to forgive himself.

"Katniss, please," he pleaded again, before his eyes flashed back to that wild, crazed state. He leaned both hands on the table, clutching it until his knuckles were white. There was always a little part in the very back of his head that knew he was hallucinating; but that little part wasn't strong enough to fight it off.

"Peeta," she said once again, even softer this time, taking another bold step forward. "I'm staying," she added stubbornly.

"Katniss!" he cried again, slamming his fist on the table, shaking from suppressing the violent urges. "I mean it! I could seriously hurt you; please leave!"

"I'm not leaving you, Peeta," Katniss protested calmly, taking yet another step forward so she was now only 10 feet away.

Peeta could feel the hallucination taking over, and as much as that minuscule voice in the back of his head fought and struggled and screamed, it couldn't win. He turned away from Katniss, yelling and smashing his fist against the counter. Katniss recognized that he was now in full-on episode-mode, and there was nothing he could do to fight it. Not all of them were this strong; in fact, they were rarely completely overpowering. But this one was, and it would just have to be lived through. They never lasted long, after all.

By now, Peeta had fully lost control over his actions, despite his struggle to take the wheel again. He could vaguely hear that almost inaudible voice in the back of his head, and he fought hard to listen to it; but it just wasn't enough.

Suddenly, something extremely violent and unpredictable took over him; he snatched up a plate that had been sitting on the counter, and threw it towards Katniss. Luckily, she side-stepped at the last moment to avoid the plate hitting her square in the chest; it grazed her wrist as it smashed against the wall behind her. Shattered pieces of glass flew everywhere, and several shards found their way to Katniss' skin, slicing it open and drawing blood. Katniss looked down at her wrist and the shattered plate, then back up at Peeta, eyes widened in slight shock. Theoretically, several semi-deep cuts like that should hurt; but but that wasn't what hurt. Something inside of her stung a little, even though she knew it wasn't his fault; and she couldn't blame him. Hell, if anyone were to blame for Peeta's outbursts, it was the Capitol and their stupid hijacking techniques.

The moment Peeta saw the blood, he snapped out of the hallucination and his eyes widened at the realization of what he had done; or, moreover, what he _could_ _have_ done if Katniss weren't so agile and quick to duck out of the way.

"I... Oh my God, Katniss, I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" He collapsed to the floor in tears, which momentarily startled Katniss; she almost never saw him cry. She watched silently for a moment as Peeta crouched on the ground, head in his hands, quietly crying.

"P-Peeta..." she stammered, feeling a lump begin to rise in her throat. She forced it down, knowing she had to stay strong right now... for Peeta.

"Katniss," he choked, glancing up and blinking tears out of his eyes. "Please, just... just get out of here before I hurt you again. Please..."

"No," Katniss said tenderly, almost inaudibly. "I'm not leaving you."

Peeta glanced up again, anger suddenly appearing in his bright blue eyes.

"KATNISS!" he yelled, fighting to stabilize his voice. "Don't you get it? I could have killed you, damn it!" His voice suddenly dropped to a near-whisper as he put his head back in his hands, as guilt took over the subsiding anger. "Please, Katniss... Just... Please leave."

Katniss quietly walked over and knelt beside him, biting back tears of her own. She reached out a shaky hand, and gently rubbed Peeta's back comfortingly, offering silent consolation because she didn't trust her voice right now.

"Peeta," she murmured softly after a few moments. He glanced up weakly, guilt and defeat falling like warm rain from his eyes. Katniss gently tilted his chin up so he was looking at her. Peeta blinked out several tears, somewhat-successfully clearing his vision so he could look into her gray, concern-filled eyes.

"Peeta," she said again, even softer than the last time. "We made it through the Games together. We made it through the Quarter Quell together. We made it through the Capitol, captivity, the rebellion, the bombings, and so much more. We conquered all of those things together, and we can conquer this hijacking together, just like we always have. There is no way in _hell_ I am leaving you now. I'm _never_ leaving you."

She hadn't noticed until she stopped talking, but tears had found their way to her eyes, and were now streaming down her face in two steady streams.

Peeta stared into Katniss' moistened, determined eyes, unable to tear away from the mesmerizing gaze that locked him there. He gently placed his right hand on her tear-streaked face, lightly wiping a few away with his thumb.

"I love you so much, Katniss," he murmured softly, reaching out with his other hand and gently stroking her braid.

"I love you, too," she whispered back, feeling a smile spread across her lips.

Peeta reached his other hand up and pulled her face to his, and collided his lips with hers, pulling her into a long, passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his mid-section, pulling him closer to her. She felt his hands move from her face and run through her hair, dislodging some of the loose strands of her dark braid. He wrapped one arm around her thin frame, pulling her even closer to him. She leaned into his electrifying touch, sending a satisfying shiver down her spine; and she knew right then that she would never, ever get used to being loved like this. She would never get used to the frenzied butterflies in her stomach when he smiled at her, nor the electricity of Peeta's gentle touch. She knew that there would never be a time where her heart wouldn't pound out of her chest when their lips touched and formed together perfectly, washing away every care in the world for a few precious seconds. Even more importantly, she would never, _ever_ forget that young boy who was willing to take a beating to toss her the burnt loaf of bread that literally saved her and her family's lives; and for that, she would always be thankful.

Peeta knew as well that his heart would never get used to the fact that Katniss was his, and he was hers. She had chosen him, despite his flaws. He would never fully comprehend why she stood so loyally by his side, even after all of his delirious episodes and angry outbursts, that might have sent anyone else running for the hills; but he was so, so glad she did. As clichéas he knew it sounded, he honestly didn't know what he would do without her. He remembered the first time he had seen her; her long, dark hair had been in two braids instead of one; they fell gracefully down her back, and bounced lightly as she walked. Her gray eyes, so unlike his own piercing blue ones, were somehow utterly captivating; they were full of a spirited vigor and determination that he had never seen in anybody else before. She never really noticed, but a lot of other boys liked her, too. They noticed a lot of the same things Peeta had always loved in Katniss: her dark hair, mysterious eyes, and the sheer determination behind everything she did. She was beautiful even then, and she always would be to him. He smiled, mid-kiss, at the memory, and he felt Katniss' lips form into a smile, too.

After several wonderful minutes, they both pulled away simultaneously. They leaned their foreheads together, gazing into each other's eyes. Katniss and Peeta both knew, right then and there, that this was what true love felt like. True love was sticking by each other's side through good and bad, no matter what happened; and they had done so, countless times. They made it this far, through so much pain and suffering and uncertainty; they could make it through anything. Together.


End file.
